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Topic: 2018 (Read 5858 times)

i was just winding down into my evening, getting ready to go into my hidey-hole when the phone rang.A pair of women i know had become quite fond of their neighbourhood Ravens, & were enjoying watching the antics of the three youngsters.But one of them was down in their yard & behaving strangely, & seemed to have a broken wing.They had called NIWRA about this youngster, & it had been left up to them to decide whether to bring the young Raven in or not.i could tell the women were conflicted about what to do.There were no promises from NIWRA, based on what they described the youngster as doing, that they would be able to help the young Raven.i settled down to work on my puzzle to keep me calm while the woman debated in my ear about what to do.She asked if i might be able to capture the Raven without causing too much distress to them.i said i had done this before, i described what i would bring & what we would do, & i also explained that the capture can*t help but be stressful for the Bird.Almost an hour later, she said she needed to hang up to think, & that she would call me back.She did, & we were on for the capture.i gathered a net & two towels & headed over there.i probably should have brought my capture gloves, but i thought of that too late.With a Raven, you have to watch the beak.i spotted the Raven as soon as i walked into the yard.She was in a fenced in area, hopping around with her beak open, looking very stressed.The women had been giving her food & water, & wanted to do this before we tried to capture her but i advised against this.One woman took the net & i went in with a towel.The Raven definitely had something wrong.She wasn*t walking well, nor was she managing to get out of the fenced area.We surrounded her slowly, she went up against the fence, i told the women i was just going to go in there & nab her.It was easy to throw the towel over her head & pick her up, she weighed nothing.The women had prepared a kennel with the door open & i popped her in quickly & removed the capture towel.We talked for a bit, then moved away to give the Raven quiet.Everyone was a bit teary, the women really cared for this youngster.Next day the Raven was brought to NIWRA first thing, & though they promised to call & report back to me, i never heard anything back.So i popped them off an e-mail & heard back right away, almost a week later.

How did it go that day with dropping off the Raven?Have you heard anything about her since?i fear the worst, since i haven*t heard back from you.~barb

Yes, the raven didn't make it. They said she had an old injury, and a newer one on top of that. Thank you so much for helping us with her. We were glad that we could give her a chance, sad that it went the way it did. But such is life with wild birds. The parent ravens called and called for 3 days after, crisscrossing their territory looking for her, but after that, they settled down to teaching their remaining 2 proper manners, caution and foraging. It's a wonder to be able to watch their lives, even though it's sometimes hard.

Your help made all the difference that day, and we're grateful that someone with your skills and knowledge, and the generosity to share them, is on this island.

Awwwwww, darn.Thank you for filling me in on what happened.i was very happy to help you that day, for sure.Did they say what her old & new injury were?~love barb

The old injury was in her pelvis. The new one was something that increased the pelvic injury, leading to the paralyzed leg. They said it looked like she was attacked by some kind of predator but managed to get away.

Such a sad story. Nice that so many humans cared enough , but unfortunate that some communications need to improve. Thank you for being willing to stay up and wait while the women decide what they want to do, and for following up on the nature of the problems, as well as the final outcome Booni.

It was 5 pm & i*d just gotten in the door from working all day & was pooped!i noticed a message on my answering machine from a number that i didn*t recognize.More & more, people are calling from cellphones, & all you see is the number.i was hoping it was a phone solicitation that i could just delete, but no.The call had come in only an hour ago.A woman had spotted a Hawk in trouble on the steep steep slope down to Olsen Farm.She was on her way up the slope from her art studio when a Hawk kind of dropped out of a Tree & fell at her feet.She could tell something was wrong, but wasn*t sure what to do.She went through quite a bit of trouble to try to find me!Someone told her where i lived, but she went to three wrong places & even left a note somewhere on a door where i don*t live.When i called her back she answered & was at the Ball Park on her bike.She was game to go with me & show me the spot, & good thing, because, yikes, i never would have spotted this Hawk without her.She told me about the Hawk*s strange behaviour.She thought the Hawk had a broken wing.i said i*d gather my equipment then meet her at the Ball Park & pick her up & we could go look.i got a towel & a small kennel & the net.i was thinking a Sharp-shinned or perhaps a Cooper*s Hawk.But asking her questions on the way there, she described a Bird as big as an Eagle!So the kennel i*d brought was way too small.Perhaps this Bird was a Red-tailed Hawk!She said the Hawk did indeed have a red tail.Quite a rare sighting, for Hornby.There is not a lot of space to park on that hill, but she directed me to a spot near where her trail down was & i pulled over.She took the net, i took the towel & carrier.Yikes, this slope was practically straight down.She went hopping off at nimble speed while i picked my way slowly.It was little more that a Deer trail, with wooden steps in places.i wished i*d had both hands free to hang on to something on my way down, but one hand was full.She went hippity hopping off down at high speed & i lost sight of her a few times.She spotted the Hawk!Amazing!But the Hawk took off & landed awkwardly further down the slope, off the trail.She pointed to where you could just see the feathers of the wing & the wide open beak pointing our way.The Hawk was on their back & not moving.i asked her if she*d be game to go down there & do the capture, &, phew, she was.i told her to cover the head with the towel, then get control of the feet.She took the towel, plus the net, just in case, & off she skipped, down the slope, while i watched & directed.She was able to walk right up to the Hawk & the Hawk stayed on their back, wings spread & beak wide open.She tossed the towel over the head & was able to get ahold of the feet through the towel.She had the Hawk by the feet, wings hanging down & open.Not ideal, but on this slope i was just happy to have the Hawk in hand.There really wasn*t anywhere to lay the Hawk down & gather the wings in.So we went back up the hill like that, me with the net & kennel, her holding the Hawk by the feet with the head covered & the wings hanging open & down.Going up felt safer than going down, but was still very precarious, but for her it was a piece of cake, she does it all the time, & she was like four years old, so she was right behind me the whole time, silent, while i huffed & puffed my way up.i was REALLY glad to get back to the road.Again, there wasn*t really a safe place to lay out the Hawk so we went all the way back to the car before i had space to gather in both wings & wrap them into a bundle with the towel.She ended up getting into the car with the Hawk in her lap, wrapped in the towel & holding the feet.She thought the Hawk felt quite heavy, & was quite warm in her lap all the way back to my place.i left her sitting in the car with the Hawk in her lap while i dug out a larger kennel, cleaned & dried it a bit, then lined it with a clean towel.i put it on a table for easy access & left the door open.She came out of the car with her bundle & i instructed her to turn the Hawk right side up & feed them into the kennel head first.The Hawk went in with wings spread, & sharp talons hanging onto the capture towel.We couldn*t close the door because the big capture towel was in the way, due to the feet clinging to the towel.We tried prying the toes apart, but holy-moly, that Hawk was hanging on tight.i ended up covering the kennel with the door as closed as it could go, hoping the Hawk would eventually let go.We waited for a ride to come get her, & we talked about the ethics of leaving the Hawk to let Nature take her course, or whether it was right to rescue them.i told her what they*d do with the Hawk once they arrived at MARS.Unfortunately, we were too late for the last ferry, so the Hawk was spending the night with me.She gave me a hug, still buzzing with adrenaline, & i decided to put the kennel inside for the night, just in case that partly open door caused a problem with escape.At least the Hawk would be contained, if that happened.i pushed the covered kennel door up against a bed, to help keep it closed.i went back a bit later & was able to draw the towel out & close the door properly!The Hawk was in full defense, with open wings & beak.i was worried i hadn*t tucked in the wing properly, & it might be caught somehow, but in the morning when i peeked in the Hawk had turned them self around & was now facing the door with wings & beak open & looking at me.i was so happy the Hawk had survived capture & the night.i*d put an ad on two Hornby facebook pages & got two replies right away!One would take the Hawk right to MARS on the nine am ferry!Yay!So i was there to meet them on my road at 8:30 & off they went.i*d gotten a call from Reg, wondering when the Hawk was coming in, & i told him roughly 10:30 to 11 would be likely.i said i*d be very curious to hear back on his assessment of the Hawk, & he said he would let me know.The Hawk was dropped off & my kennel brought back & the drivers even got a free trip on the ferries because they were delivering injured wildlife!The wing was broken, but it wasn*t sure where & that needed to be assessed before they could think about repairing the wing.i hope hope hope to get some good news about this lovely Red-tailed Hawk!i wonder if they are one of the pair of young of this year that wren spotted in the area, or are they the Mum or Dad of the pair?& what kind of body condition were they in?We have no idea how long this Hawk has been injured for, & it is amazing luck for the Hawk that this young woman was in the right place at the right time to spot them!

It was 2 pm & the power had gone out at 10 am & i was expected elsewhere & was just heading out the door when the phone rang.i saw Island Wildlife on the display & grabbed the phone, thinking it was Reg with a report on the Hawk!It took me a moment to adjust & come back to reality when i heard Marielle*s voice instead.Uh-oh, a Seal pup.Turns out a woman visiting for a wedding had spotted a lone weaner Seal pup on the beach in Helliwell & Marielle wanted me to go get them.A weaner pup is one who has been weaned from their Mother*s milk & is now on their own to feed themselves.Sometimes these don*t cope well, & so we need to rescue the weaner pup.i told her i was just heading out the door & i was late, & could she maybe ask Aaron to go instead?Well, she had called Aaron, both his numbers, but he had not answered.She described where the woman had seen the pup, it was a pretty good description, & she also was asking her for fotos to help me find the spot, but still...Helliwell is a long drive away for me, then a long walk with a kennel & towel & net, & then trying to find the pup from a description?i am trying to get out of it & the disappointment is loud & clear in Marielle*s voice over the phone.Sigh...i agree to prepare my equipment while Marielle tries to reach the woman to see if she would meet me there.First thing i do is try both Aaron*s numbers to see if he will answer.He answers his cellphone & he is on the way already to get the gear from me!What a relief!Three seconds later i hear his car & by the time i get out there he already has the tub & the net & is ready to go.Yay!While i was on the phone with Marielle the power had come back on so now there are a million things to do before i can leave, including figure out what is happening with the cam.The computer in the shed has not come back on so we are not able to connect remotely to get in & start the stream.So i say i will head to the shed on my way out.i forgot, of course, & needed to go back closer to 9pm to turn on the computer.Meanwhile, the phone is ringing & it is Marielle & Aaron has already found, photographed & captured the weaner pup!Yay!Jim Funk is already lined up to take the pup by boat to Deep Bay.& i*m not even out the door yet, sigh...

Two assessment fotos taken by the woman on her cellphone.Marielle was trying to send me them but i told her the power was out.This didn*t mean anything to her, she is thinking i have an ipad or cellphone & can still get the fotos & show them to Aaron, which i can not.So she sends them to Aaron, phew.They show very well where the Seal pup is.

september 16 2018 - Weaner pup

Marielle can tell from these fotos, & by the pup*s behaviour, that they need help.i don*t know how she does it.

These are fotos taken by Aaron, of the pup in the tub after capture.

This pup actually looks very little & young, considering we are already halfway through september.Yay Marielle & her years of experience!

Awwww - you are so brave and caring Booni! Thank you for all you do. Thank goodness for that young fleet-of-foot woman and Aaron also. What wonderful caring souls you all are. Nice to know the traosporters get free ferry trips too. Seems appropriate even if a bit surprising. 👏👏🏼👍🏻❤️

So, Reg said he*d call me back about our Red-tailed Hawk, but he hasn*t, so i feared the worst.Called MARS this morning but he wasn*t in.The person who answered was very helpful & looked up the file for the Hawk.Unfortunately they were euthanized.They had a compound fracture of the wing, & it had been broken for so long that the bone end had dried out & was no long repairable.The beak was also broken!& the poor Hawk had long term starvation, going by the body condition.i noticed there was no sign of poop in the kennel that was brought back to me.Drat!